VIDEO: 1 in 14 won’t see any sunlight on longest day of the year this Sunday

Paul Fisher

New research reveals one in 14 UK adults will not see any daylight on the Summer Solstice, longest day of the year – Sunday, 21 June. This figure rises to more than one in 10 amongst 18-24 year-olds.

The study, commissioned by outdoor travel and adventure brand Kathmandu, reveals that Brits who leave the house on a daily basis will spend on average only 79 minutes outdoors.

Chris Packham was warned 1 in 14 Brits won't see any sunlight on longest day of the year this Sunday

Presenter and naturalist Chris Packham​ ​is urging Brits to rediscover the outdoors, even if in a urban environment as he fronts the #GotToBeOutThere campaign​ - watch the video above.​

​Almost half (47%) cite the British weather as the main reason for not being outside enough.

41% blame work commitments for getting in the way; 14% say they can’t afford to whilst one in 10 (10%) believe computers, tablets, game consoles and smartphones steer them clear of outdoor pursuits.

Almost one in three (29%) parents surveyed express concern that their children are not spending enough time in the open air.

Meanwhile, almost one in five (17%) hardy respondents state that nothing prevents them from devoting time to being outdoors.

Walking is by far the most popular outdoor activity (70%) among adult Brits, followed by socialising with family and friends (43%).

Almost one in four (23%) enjoy walking their dog and one in five (20%) like to get active outdoors through sport and exercise.

A further 20% make sure to find the time to embrace nature with pastimes such as bird-watching.

It seems some adults are more adventurous when it comes to spending their leisure time, by pursuing activities like mountain biking (8%), hiking (13%), mountaineering and rock climbing (3%) and water sports including surfing (9%).

A few thrill seekers (4%) indulge in extreme sports such as bungee jumping, zorbing and paragliding whenever they have the chance.

Meanwhile, one in six (16%) are determined to experience the outdoors on their own terms by caravanning and camping.

In addition, Brits say that on average they connect with the great British outdoors four times a year but of those two thirds (66%) will never stray further afield than their local area or region​.